EU energy

Petroleum resources, in addition to military intelligence, should be shared with Europe.

Italian (L-R) Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Laurent Fabius talk during a round table meeting on day two of the G20 Turkey Leaders Summit on Nov.16, 2015 in Antalya, Turkey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Photo: Chris McGrath, Staff

What does France need from the United States?

In the wake of terror attacks in Paris, the Obama administration has already started to increase intelligence-sharing with France. As the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State continues, we're sure that U.S. military might will come to bear on the people who inspired and aided in those deadly attacks.

But a nation's needs don't end at national security. Strong economic ties have undergirded the transatlantic relationship since World War II. When Europe was reduced to rubble, the United States funded the Marshall Plan to help rebuild an economic engine that could stand as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. Now the Old World faces new threats - terrorism, refugees and Russian aggression. The globe is changing and it is time to again strengthen our alliance with Europe. In addition to guns and ships, one of the most important products that the United States can provide for France, and the rest of Europe, is energy.

The European Union relies heavily on Russia to provide the petroleum necessary to power the continent. Exports from the Middle East and Africa also leave Europe at risk of seeing their energy supplies easily disrupted. While there's potential shale plays in France and Eastern Europe, politics have made those resources difficult to access.

In a meeting with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, European Union Ambassador David O'Sullivan pointed to crude and liquified natural gas exports as a way that the United States can provide greater energy diversity for Europe.

"We would like to see a freeing up of exports, both of LNG and oil exports from the United States," O'Sullivan said. "Not necessarily because it would in the very short term dramatically change the energy mix of countries in Europe, which are heavily independent on other sources. But because it will contribute to a multiplicity of potential sources."

That U.S. competition would help weaken Russia's pipeline grip on Europe, which Vladimir Putin has not been shy about exploiting for political ends.

Opening the door to LNG exports would also help the EU liberalize its energy market and strengthen international ties at a time when the 28-member union seems to be fraying at the seams. Currently, the EU is trying to create a single energy market for the entire union. Part of this plan requires each member state to have at least three sources of potential energy supply, O'Sullivan said. LNG and crude from the United States will help move the EU toward this goal of greater energy integration and market competition.

However, before Texas wildcatters can send over a single barrel or British thermal unit, Congress needs to act.

Crude exports to Europe are currently prohibited under the law. The House passed a bill that would lift this trade barrier, which dates back to the 1970s oil crisis, but the White House has threatened a veto. While Republicans have talked about attaching an export bill to a must-pass piece of legislation, Americans should hope to see a clean bill that brings Democrats on board by adding incentives for clean energy and better energy efficiency.

The easiest path to unrestricted LNG exports relies upon Congress passing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. That trade treaty would help lower trade barriers, create more uniform regulations and make it easier to invest between the United States and the EU.

Cheap coal and increasingly affordable renewables are squeezing gas in energy markets across the globe. The economic slowdown in Asia has also shrunk demand for natural gas.

Opening Europe to U.S. exports, sooner rather than later, can help lock in natural gas as a baseline energy source to replace dirty coal. That will give Europe the energy it needs, help Texas producers sell their products across the globe and overall strengthen transatlantic ties at a time when reliable allies are needed the most.

We're waiting for Congress to step up and help us give Europe, including France, the energy resources they require.